LGBT and Obamacare

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as “Obamacare,” is a federal law issued in 2010 that will improve access to affordable and high-quality health insurance. LGBT people, their families, and their communities cannot afford to lose the benefits that the law is already providing. Here’s why:

The ACA helps millions of LGBT people and their families’ access affordable coverage.

LGBT individuals are twice as likely as the general population to be uninsured.

Under the ACA, millions of previously uninsured LGBT people will soon be able to access vital coverage.

Starting in 2014, insurance companies will be required to sell insurance policies to everyone, regardless of any pre-existing health conditions, such as diabetes, HIV, breast cancer, asthma, high blood pressure, arthritis etc.

Dependents under the age of 26 will now be eligible to be covered under their parent’s health coverage plan.

Individuals may also be eligible for federal tax credits or free coverage under Medi-Cal that will make high-quality health coverage affordable.

The ACA invests in prevention and wellness.

We all use the health care system from the moment we are born, and without health insurance, healthcare costs can be financially devastating.

New coverage options will offer Qualified Health Plans that provide the same high-quality coverage of plans currently available to reduce these out-of-pocket expenses through an emphasis on preventative services.

LGBT people come from all kinds of backgrounds and are part of every racial, ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic group and often face racism, sexism, anti-LGBT discrimination, and other barriers that limit their access to health care and threaten their ability to keep themselves and their families healthy.

The ACA seeks to transform health disparities into health equity by prioritizing programs, research, and data collection that focus on serving communities of color and other systematically disadvantaged groups.